Russia Drafts Tit-for-Tat Sanctions on America
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)
In response to the latest hostile US sanctions, Russia is preparing to respond with its own.
They include bans or curbs on food and other agricultural products, alcohol, tobacco, raw materials, titanium, rare earth metals, pharmaceuticals, software and technology products, as well as cooperation in nuclear energy and rocket engines, barring US consulting and accounting firms from working with state-owned companies, limiting visas for Americans working in Russia, and other possible measures.
Moscow’s retaliation will affect America and other countries going along with its sanctions.
On Friday, Russian lower house State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said “(d)uring discussions of the unfriendly actions against our country, we talked about the need to respond to the boorish behavior by the US and its creating obstacles to Russian business.”
Measures under consideration will be discussed on April 16 at a special lower house State Duma session, continued in a follow-up meeting.
Legislation could become law by end of April or sooner. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said what’s agreed on won’t harm Russian interests.
Trade between both countries is modest. US imports in 2017 totaled $12.7 billion, exports to America around $17 billion.
Russian lawmaker Evgeny Serebrennikov said items to be curbed or banned include rare-earth metals, “creat(ing) significant problems because those are strategic materials.”
The measure authorizes government officials to take proportional actions in response to hostile US sanctions.
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